


wong yukheis super unhelpful guide to vampirism

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, TRANS YUKHEI, and garlic, donghyucks marks bff, hmmm gay little mark lee, holy shit icb i finally finished this fic, mark uses neopronouns, mark xe/xim gay, they have some rocky moments together but, witch!sicheng is mentioned, yukheis a vampire, yukheis allergic to nuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: r/supernatural-creaturesUSER mlee99 ASKED;giys i think my roomate (and crush and best friend) is a vampir ebut he doesnt know he is one yet?!?!`?*!(&#($&!($&*%*!%$(@()???? sm1 help plsor, alternatively:where mark and yukhei don't realize they like each other until yukhei turns into a vampire (and they were roommates)
Relationships: Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32
Collections: Trans NCT Fic Fest





	wong yukheis super unhelpful guide to vampirism

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh general tws: i did mention it in the tags, but im repeating them just in case! there is one scene where yukhei is bitten, and another where he vomits. mark is misgendered in one scene, and theres also an nsfw part where uh.... yukhei masturbates LOL so! just a friendly warning. i hope u enjoy the fic!!!

In Yukhei’s defense, becoming a supernatural creature of the night wasn’t part of his plan. It's not exactly Yukhei’s fault he didn't know he was a vampire. They weren’t even supposed to be _real_. (“You should have realized when you almost died eating that sauce I made with garlic in it,” Mark Lee chides. “There were so many signs and yet you chose to ignore them all.”)

It starts like this.

Yukhei is in the club, dancing with his roommate and best friend Mark, who, for the past two months, wouldn’t leave his mind. They’re lost in the feeling of booming music and hot, sweaty bodies pressed against them, and Yukhei feels delirious from a burst of ecstasy when Mark dances closer to him.

Mark shifts to look at Yukhei directly and lifts xis hands. Cold and clammy, they grip Yukhei’s face delicately. He isn’t sure what to do because his cheeks are squished together by Mark, who appears to have suddenly worn bright red contacts, and Yukhei gets the biggest shock of his life when Mark presses a kiss on his neck.

“Hey,” xe says with an easy smile. Xis face is glowing and dotted with a few stray moles, and Yukhei relaxes in xis arms and moves along with xim.

“Hey,” Yukhei parrots, and he hovers his hands above Mark’s waist. Yukhei didn’t focus on Mark’s outfit when they left home, too excited about hanging out with one of his favorite people, but here and now he focuses a little more. Xe has a flashy neon green crop top with some retrowave font on, and the jeans xe's wearing are ripped and show the fishnets worn underneath. 

“Is this real?” Yukhei asks.

“Why wouldn’t it be,” xe replies with a laugh, and Yukhei shrugs halfheartedly. Xe puts xis hands over Yukhei’s hovering ones and brings them down on xis waist, encouraging. Yukhei presses his thumbs hesitantly against the warm skin along xis hip bone.

Mark’s face glitters with gold highlighter and an even shinier shade of gold eyeshadow is spread along xis eyelids and it's slightly smudged along the corners of xis eyes. He can't look away. 

Yukhei moves with the music absentmindedly, still mesmerized by the eyeshadow that spreads even more when Mark smiles toothily.

"You've been staring at my face for quite a while," xe says, pressing against Yukhei a little harder and grinding xis hips against his. 

Yukhei's grip on Mark’s waist tightens and he tries to hold back a groan at the contact. "Fuck. You're golden. Like, literally." Mark’s eyebrows raise.

"You like my makeup?"

Yukhei moves his hands away from Mark’s waist and cups xis face, staring into xis eyes. "I like _you_. You're hot, though, and the makeup is a plus."

Mark snorts at that. "I'm happy you like it. Are you as good in bed as you are at dancing?"

Yukhei presses their crotches together, hands on xis waist once more, and sways gently. "This isn't real. This is just a dream,” Yukhei murmurs, mouth dropping open slightly. “I can’t believe this. Fuck it. Do you wanna find out?"

Mark grins, and Yukhei is reminded of a shark. Xis smile is all sharp teeth and a small voice in the back of Yukhei's head warns him to be careful around xim.

He dismisses it when Mark grabs his wrist and tugs him out of the crowd and to a small table, dim and hidden in the corner.

Xe sits down and pats the space next to xim. “Sit down, Xuxi.”

Yukhei chews on his bottom lip nervously. “Okay,” he says.

Everything that happens next is a blur.

Someone, (Mark?) lunges at him and clamps down on his throat, where he assumes his vein must be. This isn’t some hot kinky marking, he panics internally. This person is trying to bite Yukhei’s fucking skin off. He lets out a garbled screech and elbows the person in the face as hard as he can, which apparently is not very hard because the person is still latched onto him. He tries to get away but he starts to feel drained and he can’t move anymore. It feels so intrusive.

He isn’t sure what's going on but he thinks he can feel his soul leaving him bit by bit, like the person is sucking it out with a straw. Yukhei giggles deliriously at the mental image before passing out. 

When he comes to, he feels like he was shoved into a washing machine and thoroughly wrung out. “What the fuck,” Yukhei gasps, staring at the wall in terror. He’s shaking, but he isn’t sure why. He can’t remember anything. The last thing he remembers is dancing with Mark.

“Mark,” he mutters, remembering. “Gotta find Mark.”

He stumbles out of his seat wildly and turns to where Mark is dancing, his mouth open, and he tries to say something but nothing comes out. He presses his hand to the dully throbbing pain on his neck, and when he pulls his hand away from the bite mark (oh god) there’s blood, there’s a lot of blood. (There’s so much blood and Yukhei isn’t sure that much is supposed to be there. No one around him is even reacting. Is he just going crazy?)

He looks up and Mark is dancing like nothing happened, and everyone around him is continuing like normal. Yukhei can’t bring himself to bother Mark so he stumbles away deliriously and tries to find a bathroom.

He’s leaning against the wall because he feels lightheaded, and someone’s helping him to the bathroom (he doesn’t know if it’s someone or if he’s imagining it, he can’t see.)

He stumbles into a stall, waving the person away, and locks the door behind him before throwing up. He vomits three times before he finally feels like he isn’t going to hurl.

He shudders again and stands up shakily, heading out to find Mark once more. 

Mark is still there, dancing with another man and wearing the same maroon crop top. (Was it maroon at first? He thought it was green.) Yukhei makes his way through a cluster of giggling female bodies and finally makes it to Mark. He taps xis shoulder and almost cries in relief when xe turns around. 

"Mark," he cries out, latching onto xis bicep. "Mark, I think I need to go home."

Mark looks at him with worry in xis eyes and puts xis arm over him, letting Yukhei lean against xim. "Alright, Xuxi," xe says. "Let's get you home. It looks like you drank too much."

Yukhei tries to shake his head because he hadn't had anything to drink except for an expensive bottle of water he bought himself from the bar, but he can't muster up the energy to protest.

Instead, Yukhei presses his nose against Mark’s skin softly and tries to focus on putting his feet one after the other, making sure he doesn’t lose rhythm in his steps and fall. 

“Do you need to go to the hospital, Xuxi?” Mark asks worriedly. 

“No,” Yukhei replies. Or at least he thinks he says it out loud- his head feels like there’s a bunch of bees swarming around inside, buzzing incessantly. He shakes his head no, just in case he really didn’t say it. 

He tries to speak again. “’M a broke college student, Mark. No insurance. Do art, not big bucks. Can’t pay the ‘spital bills.” His words slur together and the buzzing in Yukhei’s head gets louder as Mark tries to flag down a taxi. 

His head drops and he breathes in slowly. “Smell good, Markie,” he mumbles against Mark’s skin. 

“Thank you,” Mark laughs easily. “It’s probably my Winterberry conditioner.” 

Yukhei hums noncommittally. 

“Go inside,” Mark urges. “Let’s go home. You’re lucky I’m your roommate.” 

He lets out a noise of dissent and dives into the backseat of the taxi. “Not lucky. You make me think. Too much for me,” Yukhei mutters quietly to himself.

“Move your legs, puppy,” Mark says, shoving at his feet. “You’re not as small as you think you are.” 

He kicks out blindly, hoping to land a hit on Mark before he curls up on the seat. “Can you call Winwin for me?” Yukhei asks, using his old friend’s nickname. “’M g'na open the phone for you, jus' call him please.” 

Mark sits in the seat next to him, telling the driver their address before grabbing Yukhei’s open phone from his hands. 

Yukhei closes his eyes. 

When he opens them again, it’s because of Mark who is shaking his shoulder. 

“Wakey wakey, Xuxi. Dude, come on, the taxi driver doesn’t have all day.” 

Yukhei shimmies out of the taxi and immediately trips, falling to his knees. His lip starts wobbling, and he’s really trying so hard not to burst into tears in front of Mark while xe tips the driver. 

His attempts are all lost when Mark gently lifts him up, a hand holding his own and another resting on his back. 

Fat, hot tears are rolling down his cheeks and he tries to cry silently, he really does, but he sniffles so his nose isn’t leaking everywhere and Mark looks at him. 

“Aw, Xuxi,” Mark coos, wiping his tears away with xis thumbs. “Sicheng is gonna come soon. Don’t worry about it.” 

Yukhei nods silently and tries to stop his tears as they walk upstairs and Mark unlocks their apartment door. 

Yukhei grabs his phone with hands that suddenly feel too large and he unlocks it clumsily, getting his passcode wrong four times before realizing he could simply use his fingerprint.

**_To: winwinnie ge 🍄_ **

gge-

ge marm thinks im durnk but i swear i djdnt

drink anything im so freakied out ge-

ge plds come jver ASQP!!!!!! my visins

getti ng blurry as fcuk and like i said odk y-

He locks his phone and is hit with a hard wave of sleepiness. Yukhei drops on top of the couch and closes his eyes, focusing on the slow beat of his heart. He isn’t sure how much time passes like that, just Yukhei breathing in and out, counting his heartbeats. 

He can hear Mark greet Sicheng, and he tries to open his eyes but he can’t. His mind feels hazy and he tries to move towards them with his eyes closed, but he doesn’t know if he’s actually moving or if he’s just doing it mentally. 

Sicheng’s voice grows in volume, urgent and panicked. Mark's voice also filters through, but he can’t hear the words they’re saying, and his hands meet with something hot and warm- and _oh,_ it smells _so good._

He leans his head in to try and explore the smell, but sharp pain files in after a solid thunk against the back of his head. Yukhei drops. 

He faintly registers getting lifted and a hand stroking his hair lovingly. People are talking, but he can't- he can't hear anything and he panics, breaths getting quicker. He blacks out.

-

He opens his eyes blearily as he wakes up and tries to move his arms. He can't. 

Both of his arms are held down by some sort of twine, keeping it against the surface of an armchair. He tries to kick, but his legs, too, are tied down. 

He knows something is wrong, (he can smell the sharp metallic tang of blood and he can’t feel his right hand,) but his head hurts so much and he's so, so tired. 

Yukhei closes his eyes and falls asleep again.

-

His head lolls to the side as he wakes up the third time. He registers the fact that he’s lying down, which means someone took him to his room. Yukhei feels woozy and dizzy, though, and when he opens his eyes the world spins. A surge of vomit gushes up his throat and he hastily turns his face to the side, hurling onto the carpet beneath him. 

He barely has the time to think, 'I'm ruining the carpet,' before he's vomiting again. He gasps desperately, clutching the edge of his bed. His lower abdomen hurts and he can still taste the foul aftermath of what was previously in his stomach. He looks up at the sound of shuffling and sees Sicheng standing a couple of feet away from him with a face of utter disgust. 

“Water,” he croaks hoarsely. “I’m so thirsty.” 

Sicheng wrinkles his nose as he lugs the carpet out of the room pinched between two fingers and comes back to hand him a cup of something ruby red that is most definitely not water, but Yukhei is so, _so_ hungry and thirsty, he can’t handle it. And he trusts Sicheng. (He’s never done him wrong before.) Yukhei grabs the cup and downs it all in one gulp. He immediately feels ten times better than he did before. “ More,” he demands, giving the cup back to Sicheng. “Give me more.” 

“No,” Sicheng says unkindly. “Not when you’re asking like that.” 

“My mouth tastes like puke, Winwinnie,” Yukhei tries. “ Please get me more.” 

Sicheng takes the cup from Yukhei’s outstretched hand, and he waits as Sicheng goes to the kitchen to fill his cup. 

When he comes back, he’s got a bottle of air freshener in hand, and the cup is not filled with the red liquid, but rather something that looks like water. Yukhei sniffs it dubiously. “Is this coconut water?” 

“Yeah,” Sicheng responds. “Drink coconut water instead of normal water from now on. It’s healthier for you.” 

Yukhei nods absently, sipping the water. “What happened last night?” 

“What do you remember?” Sicheng counters, sitting next to him on the bed and spraying the air freshener around. 

“I remember Mark,” Yukhei says slowly. “Xis eyes were red. Then I went into a booth with someone, I think. They bit my throat. There was a lot of blood, but when I went to the bathroom there was no more. After that it’s all kind of blurry, to be honest. I do remember finding Mark, but...” He trails off.

He turns to Sicheng wildly. “Did me and Mark fuck?” he exclaims. "Did I sleep with my roommate?"

Sicheng hums and stares at him. Yukhei shifts and looks away, flushing red, uncomfortable by the catlike gaze. 

“Mm, no. You guys didn’t. Mark called me via your phone to say that you needed help. Xe couldn’t really explain what was going on, so I brought my backpack full of all my stuff. When I came, you were lying on the couch, but Mark started speaking to me and suddenly you shot up and came for me. I knocked you out with a pan, so sorry about that. No offense to you, you were just going crazy.” 

“None taken,” Yukhei murmurs absentmindedly, taking another sip of the coconut water. (Hey, this actually tastes pretty good.)

“Anyways, as you were out cold, I sent Mark out and tried brewing something that could help you out because I’m pretty sure I know what happened. You woke up, though, and ate your own arm. It was kind of terrifying,” Sicheng muses to himself. “You really went all in, tearing your skin apart.

“I was a bit freaked out because of that, so I tied you down to the armchair, and your arm started growing back at an inhuman speed. It was really interesting, I want to see if your blood has any properties that allow that to happen.” 

Yukhei blinks at him, stunned. 

“So, yeah. I fed you some of my blood and the brew I made, and you immediately became more peaceful. Probably helped you transition more easily.” 

“You’re crazy,” Yukhei laughs when Sicheng is done. “Sicheng, I knew you were creative but this is awesome. You should become a novel writer.” 

Sicheng scowls. “I wasn’t making it up, dumbass. I’m serious.” 

Yukhei laughs again boisterously. “Next you’re gonna tell me you’re a wizard."

“I’m a _witch_ ,” Sicheng corrects. Yukhei snorts again. 

“Ah, you’re crazy, _ge_. Do you wanna stay for breakfast?” 

Sicheng stands up and shakes his head. “No, I don’t want to stay. Maybe another time. Clearly you’re not convinced. Remember what I said,” he warns, leaving Yukhei’s room. “Drink coconut water instead of normal water from now on. It’s good for your blood flow.” 

Yukhei nods with a smile. “You know I always listen to your instructions. Thank you for coming last night.” 

When Sicheng leaves, Yukhei doesn’t bother getting up to eat, sated from the coconut water and the mystery red liquid he drank. 

He yawns, peering at his window with the curtains still drawn. It looks like the sun is still high in the sky. “I'll take a short nap,” he murmurs to himself. “I’m so tired.” 

He lays down on the bed once more, and comfortably goes to sleep, hugging his pillow tightly. 

When he wakes up, Yukhei is standing in Mark’s doorway, eyes droopy and limbs heavy. 

He isn’t sure how he got there, and he doesn’t know for how long he remains there silently, either, lured by the smell and standing with his underwear steadily getting more and more uncomfortably damp. He’s lost in trying to will his horniness away (seriously, why is he wet?) until Mark lifts xis head from the bed and lets out a loud curse, rolling off the edge of the bed and grabbing xis pillow. 

“Yukhei,” Mark says breathlessly, eyes wide. “What are you doing here?” 

He doesn’t answer. He closes his eyes and inhales sharply, breathing in a scent so strong and delicious he could go mad. 

Mark stands up and approaches Yukhei. Xe puts a soft hand on his shoulder and tries to move him away, turning him around and carefully nudging him towards his own room. Yukhei shudders beneath xim and tries to contain the sound that’s threatening to leave him, going limp in Mark’s hand and letting xim direct him away. 

Mark pushes lightly against Yukhei’s back and he easily drops himself facedown onto his bed like a sack of bricks. He’s been holding in his breath and he’s forgotten for how long he’s been holding it, but when he inhales he’s attacked with the same deliciously maddening smell again, this time even stronger. 

“Good night, Xuxi,” Mark says fondly, tugging Yukhei’s blanket over his cold body. Xe runs his hand through his hair softly before grabbing a handful of it and softly tugging teasingly. 

Yukhei mentally lets out a sound embarrassingly high pitched and tries to push his face deeper into the pillow, his spine arching slightly. 

He can hear Mark’s footsteps trail down the hallway, back to xis room, and the door closes. Yukhei turns around, eyes open wide and staring at the ceiling. 

The sweet aroma is still lingering in his room, although faint, and Yukhei lets out a keen. 

He can feel himself getting wetter, but he’s tired and he really doesn’t want to get out of bed, so he unceremoniously pulls his pillow out from where it is beneath his head in one move and turns on his side, slotting it between his thighs. 

He feels slightly guilty because he’s pretty sure the origin of the smell is Mark, but he doesn’t stop himself. He grinds clumsily against the soft pillow, quiet and desperate whines leaving his mouth. One hand slips underneath the waistband of his shorts to massage his clit while one of his hands grips the pillow so tightly his fingertips turn white. He feels good, lost in his feeling of lust and ecstasy, focusing only on himself and his pleasure. 

He thrusts his hips against it, slowly at first before picking up his pace, the fabric of his shorts rubbing against him and joining the combination of friction from the pillow between his legs. 

His thighs clench around it tighter, compressing the pillow so he can thrust harder. A particularly hard grind with a press against his throbbing clit has him crying out, a half-choked sob as he imagines how Mark’s hand would feel on his waist, on his thighs. 

He wonders what xe would do. Would xe grab his throat, choke him while fucking him? Would xe eat him out, spending enough time to get him to the brink of orgasm before pulling off and leaving him like that? Or maybe Mark would shove xis fingers into Yukhei, dripping in lube and whispering filthy words into his ear. 

Yukhei lets out another quiet, broken sob as he thinks of Mark fucking him.

He thinks of Mark fucking into him right now, crotch pressed uselessly against his pillow. He moves a finger down his stomach, pushing it through the waistband of his shorts and trailing it around his wet hole. It’s maddening, to think of Mark doing all these movements, and he whimpers again. He closes his eyes and thinks of Mark, thrusting into Yukhei fast and hard. 

He presses two fingers in, wailing as his hips jerk against his pillow a little more harshly. He brings his hand up to his mouth and bites harshly to shut himself up. He can vaguely taste something metallic, probably his own blood, but he’s too lost in the sensations to care much about it.

He’s close, about to come embarrassingly fast, and he cants his hips a few more times before cumming. His thighs tense up and he shudders, his entire body shaking as well as his mattress with the action. 

He shivers again slightly when he picks up the scent again, whining quietly. He rolls his hips against the pillow, slickness spreading and making him feel filthy. The mess inside his shorts is going to be a hassle to clean up. It’s making both his shorts and the pillowcase wet, the dampness growing across his front and spreading wet circles. It’s very messy, he can feel it, but he can’t bring himself to care much about it right now. 

Yukhei senses another noise building up and so he puts his fist back in his mouth and bites it, rutting against his pillow desperately as another broken, muffled whine escapes his mouth from around his fist. He thrusts his fingers a little quicker, adding a third. He speeds up, breathing in sharply and trying to clutch onto the threads of the mesmerizing smell still in the air. 

His hips stutter and he comes, arching his back slightly, teeth clamping down so hard he can taste his own blood from his hand. 

He lays there for a little more, trying to ignore the sticky mess inside his shorts by running his clean hand through his hair and gripping it tightly. He wasn’t very quiet. Mark would have definitely heard. Yukhei sighs, shimmying out of his clothes and kicking them somewhere near his desk. He rolls over, pulling the covers up again.

He closes his eyes, and, in what seems like seconds, falls asleep. 

-

**_then_ ** _._

Really, if you ask Yukhei, it all starts like this. ("Not the whole vampire thing," he clarifies. "Just. The _Mark_ thing.")

Wong Yukhei finishes school in Hong Kong and tries staying in Hong Kong, where his parents and roots are. That doesn’t work out. The third month of college, he decides he wants to move where he could find more opportunities, a chance to model or be scouted into an entertainment company: South Korea.

He manages to get a full scholarship that grants him a green card and a new life in S.K, where no one knows his dead name and he would never get mistaken for a girl by people who had known him before transition. He quickly hates it.

South Korea really isn’t all that. The k-drama world was so much more different than real life. (Which Yukhei is genuinely confused about, because why would they film and show false locations? It doesn’t make sense. This isn’t the glory-full place he heard about.)

College is... fine, he supposes, if you ignored the odd looks and judgement he gets from being gay and the stares he gets when people learn he's trans. It's hard for him to find close friends, let alone a significant other to love and be cared for by. South Korea really isn’t all that.

After he graduates with a bachelors in fine arts, he tries to move home for a bit, but quickly realizes that even though Busan was kind of a pretty shitty place, he still enjoyed his life and persona there rather than who he is expected to be in Hong Kong.

When he hears his friend Dong Sicheng, a quiet boy whose parents and background always seemed elusive, moved to America to find a new career in botany, he’s absolutely thrilled. This is his chance to go out, rebuild the person he was in South Korea, and find cute people who actually understand him.

He messages Sicheng on the day of his flight, excited and ready to see a new country he would hopefully be able to call home. He’s already accepted into an art institute, and he’s got a hotel booked for two weeks until he finds a good place.

**_To: winwinnie ge 🍄_ **

!!! ge! i never told u this but im 

officially omw to the u.s. hehehe -

im boarding the plane rn actually-

do u have a spare room 🥺 i alrdy

booked a hotel room 4 like two

weeks but im ginna need a place-

gonna*-

right ur problby still sleepinf-

IM SO EXCITED-

oh bye bye they want us to board now haha-

see u later! hope u have a good morning!-

**_From: winwinnie ge 🍄_ **

-YUKHEI WTHT THE FKCU

-whag rhe fucj

-ur jokinf rihg t

-I AM A POOR POOR OWNR OF AFUCKIN

PLANT SHOP!!! A _PLANT_ SHOP

-U KNOWTHT

-I DONT HVAE ROOM INMY AOARTMENT I

ALRDY HAVEONE ROOMMATE

-fuck omg

-whatever

-yeah i hooe ur having a good flight

-ill help u find a roommate when u come

When Yukhei arrives, Sicheng does, in fact, help him find a roommate.

“Xis name is Mark Lee.” Yukhei blinks at Sicheng in confusion. “Did you mean his?” he asks.

“No,” Sicheng grumbles. “I meant xis. Don't use the wrong pronouns.” Yukhei stares blankly. 

Sicheng groans loudly and smacks Yukhei on the back. “Xe uses xe/xim pronouns. Mark will explain it for you. Come on, let’s meet xim at the cafe.”

Yukhei’s first meeting with Mark isn’t that eventful.

“Hey,” Mark says, nodding at Yukhei. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much.” Yukhei shifts uncomfortably and looks at Sicheng. He looks back at him, deadpan. “I’m gonna go out and accept a phone call,” Sicheng says. “I know you guys know I’m lying. I just wanna get out. Bye. Tell me how it goes.”

He stands up abruptly and leaves the cafe.

Yukhei stares at where his friend was, eyes wide and pleading. Mark clears xis throat awkwardly. “So. I’m Mark Lee.”

Yukhei turns back around to face Mark with an easy smile plastered on his face. “I’m Wong Yukhei. Nice to meet you.”

He extends a hand in greeting and Mark brings xis shoulders up. “Sorry, I don’t… I don’t do well with contact if I don’t know you.”

Yukhei nods and lets his hand drop. “No biggie. It’s fine. How do you know Sicheng, by the way?”

Mark waves xis hand. “He’s dating my friend, Lee Taeyong. Almost all the Koreans here know each other, and like half of them are friends with the other Asians so we’re all basically connected. Especially the LGBT people here, we all know who everyone is.”

Yukhei smiles softly. “So are all of you close? It seems nice. I never really got to hang with people I knew were trans or gay.”

Mark nods. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice to chill with people you know understand who you are.”

They sit in silence for a few moments before Yukhei speaks. “So can you explain to me your pronouns? I wanna make sure I’m referring to you correctly.” 

Mark visibly eases and smiles faintly. “Yeah, of course. So there’s this thing called, uh, neopronouns?” He chews on his lip nervously, so Yukhei nods in encouragement and Mark continues.

"So, uh, I guess you could look it up on Google later because I'm kinda shitty at explaining things but it's basically, kind of, nonbinary pronoun sets? I guess? Where instead of just the usual they/them pronouns, it's like, something else.

"It’s part of a large umbrella of pronouns, but despite their name, neopronouns, they aren’t really _new_ because they’ve been used a lot in old, like, civilizations and religions and ethnic groups," xe says, waving his hand. "Um, neurodivergent people, those are people who kind of, well not kind of but they have a, uh, like… they have autism or something that kinda makes their perception of gender and shit all wonky?"

Yukhei nods again.

"Yeah," Mark continues, "I've actually, uh, got, uh, mild autism along with ADHD, so. Um. Yeah, so in order to feel more substantial in our gender identity, I guess, we use pronouns that are, like, not the norm? I feel more comfortable with xe/xim pronouns. Oh, and neopronouns aren’t like, strictly for N-D people, either. Neurotypicals, those are people without anything, like, yeah. They can also use the pronouns that make them the most comfortable." 

Yukhei leans back, nodding once more. "Yeah, I get what you mean. I have a question, though. So how exactly would you use pronouns in other forms? When I refer to you, I use xe and xim, right? How about if I wanted to use your pronouns in the form of 'themself' or something like that?"

Mark cracks xis fingers, eyes trained on the table. "It's pretty much the same as the standard pronoun sets? But like at the beginning it's the letter x. So xe, xim, xis, ximself, and, uh, et cetera."

Yukhei smiles at xim. "Thanks for telling me about your pronouns. I'm glad you explained it to me."

Mark grins toothily. “No problem.”

A few beats of silence pass before Mark speaks up again. “Hey, don’t you think our food is taking too long to get ready?”

Yukhei’s mouth parts slightly and he raises his eyebrows. “Actually, I don’t think we even ordered yet.”

“Oh.”

\- 

Yukhei’s pretty sure he’s been falling more and more in love with Mark since their first meeting.

His first four months in the apartment is fairly normal. They’re still getting used to each other, learning how the other works and moves and their habits.

Yukhei learns that Mark knows how to make a banging cup of coffee, courtesy of xis two years of experience as a barista. He learns that Mark’s used to sleeping earlier than midnight, and that xis absolute limit is staying up till one AM.

He learns that Mark comes home from classes tired and sleepy, and that xe curls up on the couch and presses xis face into the soft throw pillows, and that xis feet get cold in the night which is why xe always wears socks. (“Even while you’re sleeping?” Yukhei asks accusingly when he wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Mark in the middle of the kitchen, sipping a cup of water. “Even while I’m sleeping,” xe nods solemnly.) 

After six months of living together, Mark surprises Yukhei by pressing closer to him as they watch episode eight of _While You Were Sleeping_ together. 

Yukhei holds his breath and tries not to move as Mark’s head rests softly on his shoulder.

“Lee Jong Suk is such a dreamy actor,” Mark sighs, xis hair tickling Yukhei’s cheek.

“Yeah,” Yukhei says breathlessly. “He is.”

-

**_now_ ** _._

Yukhei blinks blearily, squinting angrily at the partially shut blinders letting in filtered light. 

He could have sworn they were tightly shut before he went to sleep.

Yukhei shuffles up, completely naked. He grabs a corner of his curtain and starts to pull it, covering half of his window.

A ray of sunshine hits his arm suddenly and he hisses in pain, jerking it away.

He looks at his arm in bewilderment. The place the sunlight was on is now a puffy pink. He prods it tenderly and winces, toppling down. “Why did I just get fucking sunburnt?” Yukhei says out loud in confusion. 

He gets up again, shoulders hunched, avoiding the light. He firmly shuts the blinds before pulling his curtains over the rest of his window. 

He yawns and stretches. Yukhei wrinkles his nose in exhaustion, still tired and sleepy.

A nap wouldn’t hurt.

-

When Yukhei wakes up again, the small digital clock on his bedside table reads _7:28 pm_ in bright, jarringly neon numbers.

“Did I seriously just sleep the whole day?” he says in disbelief, running a hand through his hair.

He rolls out of bed and flops onto the ground where he lays motionlessly before picking himself up and going to his dresser to grab some shorts and a sweatshirt.

He leaves his room, peering curiously into Mark’s room and humming when he sees the lights off and the room relatively untouched, save for the still-messy bedsheets and a stray pillow tossed onto xis chair by the desk.

He heads to the kitchen and walks in on Mark standing over something on the stove.

Xis back is to Yukhei, so he decides to lean against the doorframe and watch Mark as xe goes around the kitchen and idly works on xis cooking. 

Yukhei tries to hold back a smile. It’s oddly domestic and comforting to see xim work normally around the kitchen.

He straightens up and creeps up on xim.

“Boo,” Yukhei whispers by xis ear, grabbing xis arms suddenly.

Mark lets out a shriek and swivels around, eyes wide. “Oh, what the _fuck,_ Yukhei?”

Yukhei grins widely and pats xis butt. “Just a little surprise. Are you making dinner?”

Mark nods and turns back to xis pan. “Well, technically, breakfast for you.”

Xe’s making some sausages, a pot of rice set aside and another small pot simmering with red sauce that Yukhei assumes is for the rice as well. 

“It smells good, chef,” Yukhei announces. “Although I’m slightly terrified of the amount of dishwashing I’ll need to do.”

Mark laughs and turns to him, smiling. “I guess I’ll help you this time, huh?”

Yukhei pouts and heads to the table. “You always say that but I’m always stuck cleaning everything up while you curl up on the couch and take a nap or watch some TV.”

He begins to set the table, placing circle cloth covers down and putting two plates on the ones closest to their seats. "I think my skin is getting more sensitive," he says. He puts a fork, spoon, and a set of chopsticks by each plate and turns to look at Mark.

"My blinds were open and I'm pretty sure my arm got sunburnt from the light. Need me to put the food on the table?”

“Nah, I got it,” Mark grunts, grabbing the pot of rice and hefting it up, putting it in the middle of the table. “Are you sure you got sunburnt? Your skin was never that sensitive before. Maybe it was just static. Actually, grab the sausages for me.”

Yukhei puts them in a small plate while Mark pours the sauce into a bowl and they both place them on the table, on top of the covers, before sitting. "Nah, look at it." He stretches his arm out. The puffy pink swelling is still there.

"Ouch," Mark says. "Does it hurt now?" 

Yukhei serves himself, putting a few large spoonfuls of rice into his plate and ladling some sauce on top of it.

“Doesn't hurt anymore, to be honest. Ooh. Tastes good,” he compliments, mouth full of rice. “What’s in the sauce?”

Mark waves xis hand. “Uh, some tomato paste, garlic, paprika, uh, water, obviously, and some other things I guess. Nothing big. Hope the swelling goes down. You should start wearing sunscreen.”

Yukhei nods at xim. “Tastes good anyways. And yeah, I'll put on some more sunscreen from now on.”

He eats a little more before his tongue begins to itch. He stops and sets his spoon down, suddenly queasy. “Did you put in anything with nuts? Or something that had contact with any sort of nuts?”

Mark frowns. “No, I know about your allergy. I never buy things with nuts in it anymore, I always read the food labels. Why?”

“I’m having an allergy reaction,” he gasps, throat clogging up. “Hand me my epi,” he urges breathlessly, getting up and shuffling towards the couch to lay down. 

“Oh shit,” xe panics. “Your face is getting pretty puffy and red. Shit. It’s in your drawer, right? The one by your bed.”

Yukhei nods and Mark darts off. When xe comes back, Yukhei grabs the epipen from xim and wills himself to relax before pushing it into his thigh. 

He gasps for breath and closes his eyes. 

Mark hovers over him worriedly, eyes wide in panic. “Do you know what it was? Are you feeling better?”

Yukhei lifts a finger and aims blindly at Mark, patting xis lips. He shushes xim quietly and tries to take in a deep breath.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Mark worries, wringing xis hands together and frowning. “I need to make sure you’re okay.”

“Fuck,” Yukhei groans hoarsely. “I literally can’t afford it, Mark.”

Mark grimaces. “I _know,_ Yukhei, I know you can’t afford it, neither can I, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Yukhei waves and winces, getting up slowly. “Can you call Sicheng?”

Mark purses xis lips. “Sicheng won’t always help you when something happens, Yukhei. You need to take care of yourself.”

He bites the inside of his cheek and looks away. “Just call him.”

\- 

**_then._ **

Not everything goes as smoothly as Yukhei would have liked.

Mark’s just…. inherently _messy._ Xe leaves xis mark everywhere in the house, making it apparent xe had been there. 

Like the dishes. 

For every meal Mark would eat, a heap of dishes would be left behind in the sink and xe would never wash them. 

Yukhei was raised in a pretty traditional Asian family, which meant cleanliness was drilled to be always the first thing on his mind.

He _hates_ Mark’s habits. He hates how Mark puts xis feet on xis pillows, (on xis fucking _pillows,_ ) how xis clothes are always strewn around the apartment and slung on the back of the couch, how xe leaves the carton of orange juice on the table instead of putting it in the fridge.

One day, when Mark is gone for classes, Yukhei peers into xis room.

It’s a fucking disaster. 

There are clothes all over the floor, xis desk is full of papers and a gaming controller and headphones (it’s just so _loud,_ ) and Yukhei can feel a headache forming just by looking at Mark's room. 

He spends the day cleaning the room, throwing away any ripped pieces of paper that doesn’t look important. He picks up the clothes and separates the clean ones from the dirty ones (based on how strong their smell is from at least a foot away.)

When he’s done, he flops onto the couch and huffs in exhaustion.

The door to the apartment swings open and Mark stumbles in, bags of groceries in xis hands. 

“Hey,” xe says breathlessly. “I brought some stuff we needed in the fridge.”

“Thanks,” Yukhei replies.

“I cleaned your room, by the way,” he mentions, getting up to stand by Mark as xe drops the Publix bags on the table. 

Mark whirls around, xis eyes wide and distressed. “Why the fuck would you clean my room?” xe spits, shoving Yukhei away and running to the room.

Yukhei stares at xim in bewilderment. “Why the fuck did you push me?”

He follows behind Mark, walking in as xe frantically ruffles through his desk drawers. “You should be thankful, actually, that I cared enough about your shitty room to clean it all up for you.”

Mark turns to him, cheeks red. “I’m not thankful. You ruined the whole set up I had in my room. It wasn’t a fucking mess, it was my own stuff. I knew where everything was. Don’t stick your nose in everything.”

Yukhei laughed in disbelief. “You are so fucking…” He storms out of Mark’s room and into his own.

He flings his clothes out of his closet and dresser, dragging out his duffel bag and angrily stuffing his stuff in it.

Mark appears at the doorway. "What are you doing now?"

"Leaving," Yukhei grunts. "Doesn't look like we're a good match for each other."

"What the fuck," Mark says in distress. "Don't leave. I'm sorry, it was just, it's my room and I knew where everything was placed already and then you just co pletely changed all of it, now I don't-" 

"Don't worry about it," Yukhei interrupts. "I'm leaving now so you don't have to worry about me changing anything."

"What the fuck," xe repeats. "Don't leave. Yukhei. Please. I'm sorry, Yukhei, it's just really stressing for me when my room is changed by someone else. Yukhei, please," xe cries, following him as he hefts his bag up and exits the room. "Yukhei, don't leave, man, I'm _sorry._ "

Yukhei turns to him. "Fuck, Mark," he says, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not mad about you reacting like that. I actually totally get it. I just, I can't deal with this. We clearly have a communication problem, we don't even understand each other and what we want."

"Then let's try," Mark pleads. "Yukhei, I'm already used to you, we're friends, I literally wouldn't stand anyone else in my apartment. Please."

Yukhei sighs. "I don't know, Mark."

"Are you, like, roommate-breaking up with me?" Mark laughs dryly. "Let's just fucking sit down and talk."

Yukhei bites his lip. " Mark, look-"

Xe surges forward and grabs his wrist harshly, dragging him to the couch and pushing him down. "Let's fucking talk," xe says firmly.

-

**_now_ **

Sicheng pats his thigh gently. "You're gonna be fine," he says, getting up. "Try to stay away from garlic, I'm pretty sure that's what you had the reaction to. And drink a lot of the water in your fridge, okay?"

Yukhei nods. "Yeah, I know."

"And don't forget to apply sunscreen as often as you can," he reminds by the door. "Your skin might be a little more… unused to the sunlight." 

Mark eyes him. "How do you know?"

"Just trust me," Sicheng tells xim pleasantly. 

Mark clenches xis jaw but sighs and shrugs helplessly. Xe turns to Yukhei. "I'm gonna be leaving with someone in a bit, is that fine? I wanna make sure you'll be okay by yourself."

Sicheng waves and closes the door. Yukhei locks it and looks at Mark. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Go have fun."

Mark nods. "I'll go change my clothes, be right back."

Yukhei hums and turns the TV on, hopping onto the couch and going on Netflix. He plays the first thing that comes up on his recommended and pulls a pillow close to him.

Mark comes out of xis room and clears xis throat. 

Yukhei turns around and he needs a moment to catch his breath because xe looks _hot._ (Yukhei has to compose himself before trusting himself to talk.)

"You look really good," he says hoarsely.

Xe's got on leather pants and a thin, black, see-through crop top. Xis hands are covered with fingerless gloves and xis hair is styled back. Xe has on some black eyeliner and xis lips glisten with lip gloss.

"Thanks," Mark says shyly. 

"Who are you going out with?" Yukhei asks.

"I'm leaving with Donghyuck," xe says, sitting on the floor to pull on his shoes. 

"You two dating?" Yukhei feigns nonchalance, eyes trained on the TV. 

"Nah," Mark replies, yanking on the shoelaces to xis Doc Martens and tying them. "We've been friends, since, like, forever. So. We're just really close, I guess."

Someone knocks on the door twice before it swings open, letting the cold night air into the apartment. 

Donghyuck glides in. He squats down and grabs Mark's face before smacking an open-mouthed kiss onto xis lips.

He parts and frowns. "Strawberry lip gloss? Tacky even for you, Markie."

Mark flushes red. "Shut up, dude."

Yukhei watches, his mouth slightly open in confusion. "I thought you two weren't dating."

"We aren't," Donghyuck announces. "Xe's still lonely and single. Xis lips were just kissable, so I kissed xim."

Mark turns to Yukhei, xis face still red. "Ignore him, oh my god. But yeah, we aren't dating, Hyuck's just… too comfortable with me."

Donghyuck checks his nails in disinterest. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost," Mark says, scrambling up. "Lemme go grab my wallet from my room." 

Xe jogs away and Donghyuck eyes Yukhei.

"Xe trusts you," he states. 

"I know," Yukhei says.

Donghyuck nods. "Don't fuck it up. I just want to see xim happy."

Yukhei shifts. "So do I." 

Mark comes out with a grin. "All ready. Yukhei, take a selfie with me before you go, I look good in this lighting."

"Alright," Yukhei laughs. "Is my hair good?"

"It's fine," xe waves off. "Get up, come on."

Xe grabs xis phone and tries to find a good angle while Yukhei rests his chin on xis shoulder.

Xe presses xis finger against the white button for a few seconds, making different faces and poses.

Yukhei lifts his head and smiles. "How'd they turn out?"

"What the fuck," Mark says, giggling as he swipes through his gallery. "They're all blurry."

Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. 

"No way," Yukhei says, laughing. "Let me see."

He scrolls through the photos and his face falls slightly when he sees that every single photo is blurred beyond recognition. "Huh."

"Maybe it was my shaky hands," Mark offers. "Let's take selfies when I come home."

"It was because the camera couldn't stand your beauty," Yukhei says, shaking his head. "Don't drink too much, we all know you're a lightweight."

Donghyuck grabs Mark's hands as xe groans and waves at Yukhei. "Bye," he says.

"Have fun," Yukhei replies. 

He watches them stumble downstairs, arms around each other, before sighing and closing the door.

-

**_then_ **

"Hey mom," Mark laughs nervously. "What's up?"

Yukhei watches xim as xe and xis mother talk to each other. She had called while they were in the middle of watching a movie together, and Mark told Yukhei to pause the movie for a second.

"Yeah," Mark says, looking up. "He's sitting by me right now, actually, on the couch."

Xe presses xis lips together awkwardly and leans in, whispering, "She wants to talk to you."

Yukhei grins and makes grabby hands until xe gives him the phone. "Hello Mrs. Lee, it's so wonderful to meet you."

The woman exclaims in delight. "Oh, Wong Yukhei, what an honor to finally speak to you! Mark talks about you a lot, you know. You two must be great friends."

Yukhei glances at Mark and smiles. "We're basically best friends now, ma'am."

"Oh, that's wonderful," she says. "Take care of Mark, okay? He's always clumsy and he doesn't know how to clean up after himself quite yet, so keep an eye out for him." 

Yukhei frowns at Mark and quickly mouths 'he?' before replying cheerily. "Yes, of course I'll take care of Mark. We both care for each very much. I'll hand the phone back to Mark now, alright?"

Mark shrugs helplessly and grabs the phone. Xe listens for a little before saying xis goodbyes. 

"Goodbye, ma, I love you too. See you."

Xe hangs up and looks at Yukhei nervously.

"She used the wrong pronouns for you," Yukhei states. 

Mark grimaces. "Yeah, I'm not, like, exactly out to my family back in Canada."

"So you're just gonna let them misgender you like that? It's been, what, three years?" He gets up and starts to pace.

Xe nods silently, looking down and chewing on xis lip.

"Three years since you've figured out who you are- stop biting your lip, you'll hurt yourself, Markie- and three whole years your family has been misgendering you?"

"It isn't that bad," Mark says quietly. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry."

Yukhei pauses and sighs. He sits down and grabs Mark's hands gently. "I'm not mad at you, Mark, I could never be mad at you. It just frustrates me that you would do this to yourself."

Mark raises xis shoulders. "You aren't mad I didn't come out?"

Yukhei squeezes xis hands. "I'm not mad. It's no one's business when you come out, I'm sorry for reacting like that." He takes in a deep breath. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Mark."

"I'm frustrated," Yukhei continues, "and a little confused, but never mad. Never mad at you."

"Okay," Mark says. "Okay."

Xe pulls xis hands away and fiddles with the cuff of xis hoodie. "Did you mean what you said? That we were basically best friends?"

"Of course I did," Yukhei says, leaning back. "Don't you think we're best friends?"

"Yeah," xe says softly, a teethy grin on his face. "I guess we are. Do you wanna pick a movie?"

-

**_now_ **

"Yukhei," Mark announces, standing at the head of the table. "I think you're a vampire."

Yukhei blinks at xim. "I'm sorry, what?

"You're a vampire," xe repeats. "I have evidence to back it up."

Yukhei snorts. "Jeez, Mark."

"I'm serious," xe protests. "Haven't you realized anything new about yourself?"

"No," Yukhei says amusedly. "Nothing at all."

"Nothing weird, like odd cravings? Or sensitive skin? Or becoming active only at night? Allergy to garlic? Sensitive sense of smell?"

Yukhei snorts. "Those are all myths, Mark, vampires aren't real."

"No," xe says stubbornly. "I know what you are and I need to make you realize it. You know Sicheng? I think he tried to tell you. I did some digging around, and apparently coconut water is supposed to be a near match to plasma from blood or something. It might be why you haven't needed to feed from anyone yet."

Yukhei sighs and gets up. "Mark, seriously. This isn't 2016 Tumblr."

"Sit down," Mark pouts. "I'm not done convincing you."

"I won't be convinced," Yukhei says.

"Have you bled any time recently?" Mark asks, moving in front of Yukhei to stop him from moving.

"No," Yukhei says, rolling his eyes. "Which doesn't mean anything." 

"Alright."

Mark grabs a pin from xis back pocket and lunges towards Yukhei's hand. Xe pokes his thumb harshly.

Yukhei lets out a scream and topples backwards. "What the fuck, Mark? Why'd you-"

Mark squeezes his thumb and points to it silently.

Instead of red blood beading up, it's completely black and thick in consistency.

Yukhei shrieks again. "Holy shit? What the fuck?"

"You're a vampire," Mark repeats.

"I can't be a vampire," Yukhei panicks. "I was supposed to ask you out then we would get married and grow old together and raise pets and you'd play them your guitar and I would watch you play on our porch, and-"

"Wait, what?" Mark interrupts. "What did you say?"

Yukhei turns to him in distress. "I was going to ask you out, Mark, and- and we were gonna go to a restaurant that was too expensive and I was gonna kiss you and I was gonna ask to be your boyfriend and- but now I'm undead, and I- I'm a fucking _vampire-_ "

Yukhei thinks he’s going to die.

“I think I’m going to die,” Yukhei says in a trembling voice. 

“No, you’re not,” Mark says fondly and then kisses him on the lips. 

Yukhei closes his eyes and savors xis kiss gently before pulling away. "But Mark, I- listen, I’m- I'm actually a supernatural creature, I'm literally freaking out-"

"You'll be fine," Mark says, pressing xis hand against his cheek. "Kiss me again. We'll figure it out together." 

"Okay," Yukhei says breathlessly.

They kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> ohhh wow tysm alle, milo, and dee for being w me while i finished this fic, and thank u @ fest mods for hosting this fest!! ao3 always needs more gay nct i think 👍👍 pls leave comments and kudos if u liked the fic, it makes me feel good haha


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